U.S. Census Bureau Black History Month Feature for February 28

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily Black History Month feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110428/DC91889LOGO)

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28: ALTHEA GIBSON

Profile America for the 28th day of Black History Month.  Sports fans know the tennis greats, sisters Venus and Serena Williams.  But they may not know the path was blazed for them over 50 years ago, when Althea Gibson became the first African-American to compete in the U.S. Nationals.  Her story is one odd drive and talent overcoming poverty to become one of the best tennis players in the world.  In 1956, Gibson was the first black to win the French championship.  The next year she was also the first to Wimbledon and the U.S. Nationals, an achievement she repeated the following year.  In the U.S. today, there are 260,000 professional athletes, coaches, and umpires — 35 percent of them female, and just over 7 percent African-American.  This special edition of Profile America is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau. 

Sources:  www.altheagibson.com/biography

                Statistical Abstract of the United States 2012, t. 616

Profile America Special Edition:  Black History Month  2012  is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov  (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button). 

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau